A Quincy from the Knights of the Star Cross.
The strength of these Quincy could not be compared to the ordinary Quincy of this world.
Previously, when Arima took action against the Quincy in this world, the Quincy of the Star Cross Knights simply observed in silence.
Now, as Arima's eyes fell on them, the leader—a middle-aged man clad in a military uniform and cap—returned the gaze. His sharp eyes gleamed as he slowly unsheathed the Western sword at his side.
This was his weapon.
Like many Quincy, he despised using bows and arrows.
Arima, recognizing the man after a moment of contemplation, narrowed his eyes slightly.
A big fish!
A true big fish.
This was a full member of the Knights of the Star Cross: **Kirio Jirujie Opi.**
He was also the first member of the Knights of the Star Cross to fall in the original work.
Of course, this is open to debate. When Kurosaki Ichigo entered Hueco Mundo, or when the Quincy attacked Soul Society, the timing of events is murky. Perhaps both happened simultaneously—it's hard to say.
Regardless, this Quincy had indeed been defeated in Hueco Mundo.
But that fact didn't matter to Arima. What intrigued him was that this Quincy bore the holy letter engraved by Yhwach.
In other words, Kirio Jirujie had the soul blood of Yhwach within him.
Arima's goal was clear: study this Quincy. Through him, he might unlock the mysteries of Yhwach and the Soul King. If he could fully understand the intricacies of Jirujie, he could uncover valuable secrets.
Arima's eyes sparkled as he gazed at Kirio Jirujie.
The battle between them had not yet begun, but a sudden disturbance disrupted the scene.
"Shinigami, do you think this is the end?"
The voice came from a severely injured Quincy nearby. Struggling to his feet, his body was held together by countless threads of spirit particles. These spirit threads pulled his broken form, forcing him to move like a marionette.
"A puppet?"
This was a forbidden technique among the Quincy.
The Quincy, though capable of controlling spirit particles, lacked the physical resilience of Shinigami or Hollows.
When Quincy grew old, their bodies weakened, and their movements became limited. To compensate, they developed a technique to create spirit threads, manipulating their own bodies like puppets.
Those who used this taboo technique would continue fighting until death. Even if their arms or legs were severed, they could still move until their life force was completely drained.
"Is it necessary to fight so desperately?"
Arima glanced coldly at the Quincy who used spirit threads to stand.
Under normal circumstances, the injured Quincy wasn't even remotely his equal. Did he really believe that such a desperate measure could tip the scales?
The Quincy didn't respond.
Arima had underestimated their madness.
He thought the puppet technique was the extent of their desperation. He was wrong.
Another Quincy, trembling, pulled out a pair of gloves.
Spirit-Scattering Gloves.
These gloves allowed a Quincy to temporarily reach their final form by sacrificing all their power.
Of course, this final form wasn't the same as the Quincy Holy Form. Instead, it was the ultimate power an ordinary Quincy could achieve.
The true Holy Form's power originated from Yhwach himself.
"Shinigami, die!"
The Quincy donned the Spirit-Scattering Gloves. Spirit particles erupted violently, creating a storm that engulfed the surroundings.
Then, in a moment of madness, the Quincy ripped the gloves from his hands.
The result was instantaneous. The spirit particles in the air were forcibly drawn in, condensing into a single, colossal arrow.
In the original story, Ishida Uryū used these very gloves to defeat Kurotsuchi Mayuri, one of the only times Mayuri suffered a loss.
Arima hadn't expected to witness this technique firsthand.
As the Quincy unleashed his final form, the puppet-controlled Quincy worked in tandem, restricting Arima's movements with waves of spirit threads.
"Sacred Destruction!"
The enormous sacred arrow tore through the sky, heading directly for Arima.
Arima gripped his Zanpakutō tightly. A surge of Reiatsu exploded around him, shaking the entire spirit space to its core.
This space, constructed by the Quincy, wasn't particularly stable. The constant battles and strain on spirit particles had already weakened it.
Now, with the sheer force of Arima's Reiatsu clashing with the Quincy's final attack, the space began to collapse.
Yet somehow, it held.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the area. Spirit particles formed a violent storm, tearing through everything.
When the dust finally settled, the Quincy who had used the Spirit-Scattering Gloves lay lifeless on the ground, utterly drained.
The puppet-controlling Quincy watched in horror, their pupils shrinking.
Despite this, they didn't retreat.
Even in the face of death, they chose to fight.
Arima, however, had no intention of entertaining them any further.
"Awaken, Kyōmei!"
Light enveloped Arima's Zanpakutō as it released its true form. Moments later, the sword itself vanished.
The puppet-controlling Quincy, startled, realized the threads of spirit particles that bound their bodies had disappeared.
They fell helplessly to the ground, paralyzed.
Worse yet, they could no longer sense spiritual beings at all.
Arima turned his gaze back to Kirio Jirujie.
Jirujie's expression was grim.
"You're terrifying… I never thought I'd encounter someone like you," Jirujie muttered, his voice heavy.
"It seems you know who I am," Arima said calmly, catching the subtle meaning behind Jirujie's words.
Though Jirujie didn't respond directly, he did indeed recognize Arima.
Even though Arima hadn't participated in the war years ago, his rise to prominence since then had not gone unnoticed. The Quincy were well aware of him and had been keeping a close eye on his activities.
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900 words
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